Apricot Jam

Apricot Jam can be used as a spread on toast, as a filling in between cakes, or as a glaze on baked goods or meat.

Apricots are a low-pectin fruit, so if you make the jam without added pectin the jam will be very soft, sometimes even almost pourable. You can firm up the jam a bit by using up to 25% underripe fruit -- but that's not a particularly helpful hint if you don't have access to a tree. Most people add pectin. A few people cheat, adding pumpkin to stretch out the apricots.

Commercial apricot jams and preserves are always going to have a fuller apricot flavour than what you can make at home. For whole apricots to survive the shipping to your grocery counter, they have to be picked underripe, before the flavour is fully developed (the flavour will not develop any further once the fruit leaves the tree.) Apricots that are going to commercial production can be left on the tree longer letting the full flavour develop. If you happen to have an apricot tree in your background, then of course you can get your fruit fully ripe.

Sachertorte, the famous Viennese cake, uses apricot jam. Apricot jam is also often used to stick the layer of marzipan onto Christmas cakes.

Apricot Glaze

Apricot glaze is essentially sieved (when necessary) and heated apricot jam. It makes a really great glaze in seconds, both for savoury dishes such as poultry, ham or any pork cut, and for sweet dishes such as open-faced fruit pies or flans.

Heat a bit up in a saucepan (a small bowl in microwave is even better, less fuss to clean) with a bit of water or lemon juice to thin it. You'll know when it looks thin enough to brush on. Then brush it onto whatever you are applying it to. Whether you sieve it or not first is up to you. Some think it looks a bit more appealing with bits of fruit in the glaze.

You will come across a food writer here and there who will say that apricot jam isn't good enough, it has to be apricot preserves, as the jam contains too much sugar which upsets the balance of the required acidity in the glaze to act as a foil to what you are glazing.

Also called:

Christmas Cakes, Marzipan, Sachertorte

Apple Butter, Apricot Jam, Cotignac, Guava Paste, Lemon Curd, Lime Curd, Marmalade, Marmelo, Papaya Jam, Pumpkin Butter, Raspberry Jam

Jelly, Olives, Pickles